By selecting Kansas swingman Andrew Wiggins over Duke's Jabari Parker with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night, the Cavs are getting a talented perimeter player who could blossom into a superstar.

And, who knows, maybe play alongside LeBron James.

The 19-year-old Wiggins, who averaged 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds as a freshman at Kansas, would have likely been the top pick a year ago, when the Cavs took forward Anthony Bennett.

"All of our scouts felt he had the most upside," Cavs general manager David Griffin said.

The Cavs debated over Wiggins and Parker for days before finalizing their choice in the last hours leading into the draft. There was a reported rift between Griffin, who preferred Parker, and owner Dan Gilbert, who wanted Wiggins. However, two hours before the draft started, Gilbert posted a photo of the team's decision room on his Twitter account with the words: "United and busy."

Cleveland's busy all right -- and they're a long way from being done.

The selection of Wiggins came one day after the Cavs introduced new coach David Blatt, and it's just the next step in a two-week stretch that could re-shape Cleveland's franchise for the next decade.

On Tuesday, the team can begin contract negotiations with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving on a five-year contract extension. That's also the first day free agents can negotiate with teams.

With at least $25 million in salary-cap space, and the potential to create more, the Cavs are expected to make a strong run at James, who informed the Miami Heat earlier this week that he's opting out of the final two years of his contract.

It's also possible the Cavs could make a major trade to acquire another All-Star. Minnesota's Kevin Love has been mentioned in deals involving the Cavs for years, and with just one year left on his contract, Love is primed to be moved by the Timberwolves.

Wiggins has all the skills: a good jump shot, quick feet and a 44-inch vertical jump. One of the knocks on him has been the lack of a killer instinct, but the 6-foot-8, 200-pounder said that won't be a problem going forward.

"I think I can be a great player," he said. "I think I can be one of the best."

Wiggins will feel at home with the Cavaliers. He played AAU ball in Canada with Bennett and Cavs forward Tristan Thompson, giving the team a distinctive north-of-the-U.S.-border flavor.

Griffin feels Wiggins has the necessary drive to achieve greatness.

"He realizes what his potential really is and he seems to have a legitimate desire to reach it," Griffin said. "These kids are all going to be as good as they're willing to work to be and we believe he's engaged in the right way."

Landing James might be a longshot, but so was winning the NBA lottery for the second straight year. The Cavs feel that with Wiggins, whose father, Mitchell, played in the NBA, they have at least filled the small forward position that has been so problematic since James left in 2010.

Wiggins said he can play either shooting guard or small forward.

"I can play both. I think I'm tall enough and skilled enough to play the two or three," said Wiggins, who has spoken with Blatt. "Whatever the coach wants me to play, I'll play."

Griffin said the Cavs, who also have the No. 33 pick, had "spirited" discussions about trade options that were available to them but they've been fixated on Wiggins.

"We knew for quite some time in our minds who we wanted to take if we kept the pick," Griffin said.

Even to this day, James casts a giant shadow over the Cavaliers. And it will likely stay that way.

There's a chance he could return to Cleveland as early as this summer, but the Cavs will need make more improvements to a team that went 33-49 last season and missed the playoffs in the much weaker Eastern Conference.

Wiggins might make the Cavs more appealing to James, but they'll probably need to do a lot more to convince him they're ready to contend for a title.

Wiggins didn't want to make a recruiting pitch to James, but he acknowledged it would be special to play alongside the two-time champion.

"Everybody knows LeBron, he's one of the best ever," Wiggins said. "It would be great to play with one of the best, pick his brain and learn how he got to be at the level he's at because I want to be there too."